Marseille Olympic | Ismaël Koné, “the present and future of OM”

If he wishes, with his “immense potential”, Quebecer Ismaël Koné “can become a reference” in midfield in French Ligue 1.

At least that’s what the sports advisor of Olympique de Marseille, Medhi Benatia, believes, interviewed by The Press through the communications department of the prestigious French club.

This is high praise for the former CF Montreal nugget. But the subtext of these is that Koné is not there yet.

Arriving from Watford (English D2) last summer, the Quebecer trained at CS Saint-Laurent has yet to settle into the French championship, one of the five best in the world. Slowed by two injuries since the start of the season in August, Koné played 316 minutes with OM, who was limited to three starts in eight matches.

According to Benatia, the 22-year-old Canadian international is “coming back well” from these physical problems. Now, above all, he must “well assimilate the very advanced tactical principles” of coach Roberto de Zerbi.

“Ismaël is a good boy,” believes the sports advisor. Smiling, always positive and attentive. This is very important. He is appreciated by everyone in the locker room. »

De Zerbi is a big name in the world of football. Before Marseille, he notably made his mark with the English club Brighton, leading them to qualification for the Europa League at the end of the 2022-2023 season. He is stationed at the Marseille club for the first year of a three-year project.

Last week, at a press conference, the Italian advocated “patience” in the case of Koné, but also added that the young midfielder “can do better”.

“He is a player with very high potential,” underlined De Zerbi. One of the best in Ligue 1, not just in Marseille. […] Generally speaking, he exploited it very, very little. We have to give it time, we have to be patient. On his part, there has to be a mental trigger. Because otherwise, potential is pretty much useless. »

The day after this observation from the coach, Koné was left out of the 3-1 victory won in Lens last Saturday.

“He is a versatile midfielder, with an immense volume of play and above-average technical quality,” said Medhi Benatia. As the coach said, we expect a lot from Ismaël, we have great hopes in him. For us, he represents the present and the future of OM. »

According to the former Moroccan international defender, mentors in the Marseille environment like the Dane Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and the Frenchman Adrien Rabiot must serve as “examples” for him.

“He has a lot of talent,” says Benatia. He must continue to work and give 200% to demonstrate to the whole of Ligue 1 what we know he is capable of. »

A “positive perception” of Canadian players

Marseille is off to a good start to the season, with third position in the standings after 12 days, and the second best attack (27 goals) on the circuit. This campaign is already off to a much better start than the previous one, at the end of which OM finished in 8^e rank, without a European place for 2024-2025.

The Phocéens also excel abroad, with six victories in seven matches. But there remain certain pitfalls, such as this difficulty in winning at home. Two of Marseille’s three defeats occurred in the “Volcano” that is the Vélodrome, in addition to a draw at the start of the calendar.

Certainly, one of these two losses was against Paris Saint-Germain, a very dry 3-0 suffered last October. PSG is comfortably in the lead today.

“We must not forget that we are at the start of a new three-year project with Roberto De Zerbi,” argues Medhi Benatia. We changed 70% of the team this summer. It takes time for the mayonnaise to set, especially between new players. »

There is Koné, but Canadian defender Derek Cornelius also arrived at OM in the off-season. Under Jesse Marsch, Cornelius became one of the pillars of the Reds’ ramparts, completing a duo with Moïse Bombito in meteoric rise.

The Ontarian quickly gained De Zerbi’s trust this year. Unfortunately, he is currently recovering from an injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for a few more weeks.

“Each time he was lined up by the coach, he was reassuring and showed constant progress,” Benatia explains to us. […] When he returns, it’s up to him to continue to work well and give his all to establish himself in the eleven. »

These are still two Canadian players recruited into one of the most followed and recognized clubs worldwide, a feat of arms that was once almost unthinkable for football observers here. They are added to Bombito (excellent at Nice), striker Theo Bair (at AJ Auxerre) and gunner Jonathan David, who should obtain a major transfer from Lille by next summer.

“The perception of Canadian players has evolved a lot in recent years, and in a very positive way,” underlines Medhi Benatia. Ismaël and Derek were players we followed and absolutely wanted to recruit. We always have a close eye on MLS, which is a championship in constant progress, but also on national team matches. »

OM host Monaco at the Vélodrome on Sunday, in a big duel of top 3. Will Ismaël Koné have received the message sent by his trainer?